Cricket not the be-all and end-all of my life

India: Andrew Symonds' life is no less than a soap opera. The maverick cricketer opened up on his international career, life after retirement and the IPL. Excerpts from an exclusive interview.

India: Andrew Symonds' life is no less than a soap opera. The maverick cricketer opened up on his international career, life after retirement and the IPL. Excerpts from an exclusive interview.

Do you see some friendly faces or the same aggression in the Indian crowd now?

When I came to India before, the crowd used to go at me pretty hard. I think it's quite flattering if the opposition crowd sees you as a threat. So, I sort of used it to my advantage. It made me hungry to win. Now, playing for an Indian team, I believe the people here have sort of reinvented and tag me as a different person as I am playing in one of their teams. So, it's interesting to see how I am being received differently.

How do you look back at that 'bad boy' tag?

What people do when they don't know you is assume and write things the way they see them. Very few people know me well. I am a very private person. And cricket is not the be-all and end-all of my life. I enjoy spending time with family. And when I do play cricket, I give it my best shot. And when I am away from it, I completely try to forget it.

You have had several run-ins with Indian players in the past. Were they intentional?

Look, I think people compete in different styles - some people don't say anything, some people say something. I don't set out to clash with people, but if I do, I do. And that's the way I play.

Do you regret missing out on a few more years of international cricket?

I don't think I would have lasted much longer in that team (Australia) anyway. Not being able to have your own spare time when you're not involved with the group was really choking me. I wasn't enjoying being on tour as much as I should have been.

You went into a shell after the criticism over your behavioural issues.

Everywhere I went, the media hammered me. I just don't like it. The media was pushing me and I got tired of it. People whom I trusted also hung me out to dry.

There was a lot of mistrust over what happened, things that were supposed to be confidential got into newspapers. And that's been happening for a long time. And that's very disappointing when people's private matters are not respected. I was on the front page of every newspaper.

I know I did silly things as well. But I am very disappointed in the professionalism of how things were handled. No, that actually worries me. People always want more, they want to get bigger and faster. The other thing that worries me is that if players are going to play more in the same period of time, I don't know if the quality of cricket will be as high because they will get tired. They will get injured and that's a concern.

Lalit (Modi) needs a band of merry men who are going to put their heads together and ensure they get it right. He obviously wants IPL to be the best and the most special thing in cricket. But to get that you have to look after your cattle, you can't just keep driving and whipping them.

Perth, Australia, Dec 12, 2017 (AFP) - England, battered from their latest off-field booze-related scandal, will try to cling on to the Ashes urn at a venue where they haven't won since 1978 in Thursday's third Test.

Set to host the Winter Olympics in February, South Korea conducted a series of security drills on Tuesday to prepare against terror attacks ranging from a hostage situation, a vehicle ramming a stadium and a bomb-attached to a drone. Police and firemen were among around 420 personnel participating in the exercise, held in front of the Olympic Stadium at Pyeongchang, just 80 km (50 miles) from the heavily fortified border with North Korea. Anxiety on the Korean Peninsula has been rising in recent months due to a series of missile tests by North Korea as it continues its pursuit of nuclear weapons in defiance of U.N. sanctions and warnings from the United States.

New Delhi [India], December 12 (ANI): Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh turned 36 today and warm birthday wishes poured in from the cricket fraternity. From former opener Virender Sehwag to current opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan, all took to their official Twitter handles to wish one of the most loved cricketers across the country. Posting a picture of him with Yuvraj, Sehwag continued his typical witty way while wishing the all-rounder on his special occasion.

Mumbai [India], Dec 12 (ANI): The Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators on Tuesday welcomed the decision of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to host Afghanistan's first-ever Test match in 2019-2020. The decision was taken in BCCI's Special General Meeting (SGM) held in the national capital yesterday. Meanwhile, BCCI CEO Rahul Johri insisted that the board is eagerly looking forward to the historic clash, adding that the details of the match would be announced soon.

Sports Direct said last month a report by law firm RPC had found that John Ashley was entitled to the money for his work since the British retailer floated in 2007. It asked independent shareholders to vote on the matter.

Australia all-rounder Mitchell Marsh said he was ready to go if his improved batting in domestic cricket earned him the nod for the third Ashes test against England that starts in Perth on Thursday. The 26-year-old underwent shoulder surgery earlier this year and faced nine months on the sidelines but returned for Western Australia in October and scored 680 runs in all forms of cricket at an average of 68. If selected, elder brother Shaun is likely to move to number five with Mitchell slotting in at six, where his medium-pace bowling will complement the all-out pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins.

Dubai [UAE], December 12 (ANI): The West Indies have once again been fined for maintaining a slow over-rate during the second Test against New Zealand, which ended with their 240-run defeat in Hamilton on Tuesday. Chris Broad of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees imposed the fine after Stand-in skipper Kraigg Brathwaite's side was ruled to be two overs short of its target when time allowances were taken into consideration. Brathwaite has been fined 40 percent of his match fee, while his players have received 20 percent fines.

London [U.K], Dec 13 (ANI): England opener Alex Hales, who has been cleared of any wrongdoing in the Bristol incident, is all set to return to action with this week's inaugural Ten10 League in the UAE. The 28-year-old had been present in Bristol Mbargo's nightclub, where team vice-captain Ben Stokes was arrested after a wild street brawl, which allegedly inflicted bodily harm on a man. The pair was suspended indefinitely by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) pending the outcome of a police investigation into the matter.

Formula One drivers, including Britain's four times world champion Lewis Hamilton, have shown rare unanimity by all signing up for their union amid concern for the sport's future direction. Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) chairman Alex Wurz told the BBC on Wednesday that the Monaco-based organisation now had 100 percent membership "for maybe the first time in history". Hamilton, who clinched his fourth title with Mercedes this year, has not been a member in recent seasons while others who had been outside the body had included Ferrari's 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen.